US defense secretary warns of Israeli isolation

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned that Israel is becoming an increasingly pariah regime in the Middle East.Panetta, who arrives in Israel on Monday for the first time since becoming Pentagon chief, said he would reaffirm US security commitments to Israel and try to help it improve its increasingly chilly relations with Turkey and Egypt. "It's pretty clear, at this dramatic time in the Middle East when there have been so many changes, that it is not a good situation for Israel to become increasingly isolated. And that is what has happened," Panetta told reporters on his plane. Panetta's visit to the Middle East, which includes meetings with Palestinian and Egyptian leaders, comes at a time when Arab popular demand for political change has buffeted the region, raising hopes for the people and tension and uncertainty for Israel, the US and its puppet regimes. Protests toppled governments in Tunisia and longtime US ally Egypt earlier this year and touched off a civil war in Libya that led to the ouster of leader Muammar Gaddafi. Then Egyptian protesters invaded the Israeli Embassy in Cairo a month ago in anger over a clash that killed five border guards. The military government's handling of that incident and comments afterward raised Washington and Tel Aviv's concerns about Cairo's future commitment to its peace deal with Israel, Also protests in the neighboring Jordan led to a change of government, followed by a later demonstration in front of the Israeli embassy to demand a cut of ties between Amman and the Zionist regime. Panetta will hold separate meetings with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss bilateral defense relations as well as major security issues.